News

Shōgun is one of the best beautiful and intense action drama series ever. Based on a 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell, the FX series is adapted for television by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. Set in the year 1600 in Japan, the historical series follows the story of Lord Yoshii Toranaga as enemies unite and come to take his life, but he sees an opportunity when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a village nearby. Shōgun has a brilliant ensemble cast including Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Néstor Carbonell, and Fumi Nikaido. So, if you loved the beautiful imagery and ruthless action of Shōgun, then you should check out these shows next.

Medici: Masters of Florence (Netflix) Credit – Rai

Medici: Masters of Florence is not big on action but if you loved all the politics and scheming in Shōgun, then it might be right up your alley.

Julian Schnabel is in Italy on the set of his star-studded crime mystery “In the Hand of Dante,” for which he and Louise Kugelberg, his wife and close creative collaborator, have been narratively and literally criss-crossing between the 14th and 21st centuries in locations including Sicily, Venice, Verona and Rome.

Besides the film’s previously announced leads — Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Gerard Butler — “Hand of Dante” will also see British musician and actor Benjamin Clementine (“Dune”) playing a quintessentially demonic character who seesaws between past and present. Clementine also contributes to the film’s score. Other A-list recruits comprise John Malkovich, Al Pacino and Louis Cancelmi (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) who plays both a present-day hitman named Lefty and nobleman Guido da Polenta, who was Dante’s benefactor.

Julian Schnabel, speaking to Variety on a spectacular Rome set – a palatial villa on a hill overlooking the...

Les Derniers Hommes

It’s been a fairly consistent film output for David Oelhoffen with not much waiting between projects at least with his first three features. His 2007 debut Nos retrouvailles premiered at the Critics’ Week in Cannes, and his 2014 film Far from Men was a huge sophomore film – winning three prizes at Venice. His fourth feature is a war film from the perspectives of the French and Japanese and is based on Alain Gandy’s autobiographical novel. Les Derniers Hommes and was produced by Galatée Films’ Jacques Perrin. Production took place in February of ’22 with Guido Caprino, Andrzej Chyra and Nuno Lopes toplining.…...

That Dirty Black Bag premiered on AMC+ on March 10, 2022, and ran until with a season of eight episodes. July 26, 2022, marks the release of Season 1 on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Mauro Aragoni, Silvia Ebruel, and Marcello Izzo have created a faithful homage to the Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone.

Though it will no doubt draw comparisons to Deadwood (that other popular Western television series), tonally, they feel very different.

That Dirty Black Bag borrows as much from the gore/horror genre as any type of Western -- spaghetti, revisionist, or otherwise.

An underlying plot centers around a mysterious cult that requires human sacrifice, with one such devotee having a literal mountain of skulls in his backyard.

Brian O'Malley and Mauro Aragoni take turns directing each of the season's eight episodes with craftsmanlike attention to detail, but the most magnificent work comes courtesy of cinematographer P.J. Dillon.

The vistas of Spain, the Sahara Desert,...

"That Dirty Black Bag" is the new 'spaghetti western' TV series, starring Dominic Cooper, now streaming on AMC+:

"...the 8-day clash between 'Arthur McCoy', an incorruptible sheriff with a troubled past and 'Red Bill', an infamous, solitary bounty hunter comes to a head in a brutal, wild west world full of bounty hunters, bandits and bloody vendettas, where nobody is invincible and  predators become prey..." 

Cast also includes Douglas Booth, Niv Sultan, Guido Caprino, Christian Cooke, Rose Williams, Paterson Joseph, Zoe Boyle, Ivan Shaw, Eugene Brave Rock, Daniel Caltagirone and Benjamin Stender. 

Click the images to enlarge...

"That Dirty Black Bag" is a new 'spaghetti western' TV series, starring Dominic Cooper, now streaming on AMC+:

"...the 8-day clash between 'Arthur McCoy', an incorruptible sheriff with a troubled past and 'Red Bill', an infamous, solitary bounty hunter comes to a head in a brutal, wild west world full of bounty hunters, bandits and bloody vendettas, where nobody is invincible and  predators become prey..." 

Cast also includes Douglas Booth, Niv Sultan, Guido Caprino, Christian Cooke, Rose Williams, Paterson Joseph, Zoe Boyle, Ivan Shaw, Eugene Brave Rock, Daniel Caltagirone and Benjamin Stender. 

Click the images to enlarge...

Italian sales company True Colours has secured a seven-title slate of pics premiering in Venice across various sections, including Mario Martone’s competition entry “The King of Laughter” and high-profile doc “Django and Django: Sergio Corbucci Unchained,” in which Quentin Tarantino talks about the influential Spaghetti Westerns director.

Martone (“Capri Revolution”), who is a Lido aficionado, will once again vye for the Golden Lion with “King of Laughter,” a drama about Neapolitan theatre luminary Edoardo Scarpetta, played by Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”). Italy’s 01 Distribution will release the film in Italian theaters in September.

Another Venice competition title that True Colours is handling –– in this case in tandem with Rai Com –– is “Freaks Out,” the new genre-bender by Gabriele Mainetti, known for off-kilter 2016 superhero pic “They Call Me Jeeg.” Mainetti’s latest is set in 1943 Rome where four “freaks” who work in a circus are left to their...

Preacher star Dominic Cooper and Douglas Booth, who starred in Netflix’s Motley Crue biopic The Dirt, are starring in spaghetti western drama series That Dirty Black Bag.

The series, which comes from Bron Studios and Italian producer Palomar, is currently in production in Italy, Spain and Morocco.

It is centered around the 8-day clash between Arthur McCoy, played by Cooper, an incorruptible sheriff with a troubled past, and Red Bill, played by Booth, an infamous, solitary bounty hunter known for decapitating his victims and stuffing their heads into a dirty black bag, because, as he puts it, “Heads weigh less than bodies.” The drama echoes and pays homage to the classic spaghetti western, capturing the genre’s legendary irony while revolutionizing it in a modern way and appealing to younger audiences. The series tells of bounty hunters, bandits and bloody vendettas, lonely souls driven by such great passions as faith,...

The Italian international sales agency’s line-up at the Berlin-based market also includes 200 Meters, Zanka Contact, Why Not You and Il materiale emotivo. Released by Lucky Red on Prime Video’s VOD service back in January, Stefano Lodovichi’s The Guest Room is the first title to be offered up by True Colours at the Berlinale’s European Film Market (1-5 March). Guido Caprino, Camilla Filippi and Edoardo Pesce star in the cast of this claustrophobic psychological thriller, which was shot during lockdown and inspired by the Hikikomori phenomenon. When Mom Is Away... With the Family, meanwhile, is a family comedy produced by Colorado in collaboration with Medusa, which sees the couple composed of Fabio De Luigi and Valentina Lodovini reunite after the well-favoured work When Mom is Away. Diego Abatantuono stars alongside the duo in this sequel which was also directed by Alessandro Genovese. Three European co-productions likewise appear...

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences today unveiled the winners of the International Emmy Awards 2020.

During a virtual ceremony broadcast from New York City, Oscar-winner Glenda Jackson added another award to the mantlepiece for her BBC dementia drama Elizabeth Is Missing. She won best actress for the Stv Studios show, adding to a haul that includes a BAFTA and Broadcasting Press Guild gong.

Kudos/72 films’ BBC drama Responsible Child scooped two prizes: Best TV movie/mini-series and best actor for lead Billy Barratt. It tells the true story of a 12-year-old boy named Ray who is put on trial for murder.

Other winners included PBS and Channel 4’s Oscar-nominated Syria film For Sama; Netflix’s Brazilian comedy Ninguém tá Olhando and Indian drama Delhi Crime; and Endemol Shine Australia’s ABC show Old People’s Home For 4 Year Olds.

Elsewhere, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo won the International...

This year’s crop of Intl. Emmy nominees across categories feature strong and diverse showings for series and performers alike. Here, Variety breaks down the races.

Drama

Few categories sum up current trends in global TV better than drama series, which also continues to be the biggest prize at the ceremony. Three of the four titles come from big, global-reaching companies, and three of are also crime thrillers, still the stock-in trade of much high-end international drama. On paper, any of the four titles could win, with interrogation room-set “Criminal: U.K.” from “Killing Eve” writer George Kay, pitting cops against suspects played in memorable turns by a stone-faced David Tennant and swanking Hayley Atwell. “The Bronze Garden 2” has Argentina’s Joaquín Furriel take on a new case to honor his dead friend Doberti (Luis Luque). Set in Berlin’s renowned Charité university hospital, the second season of “Charité” unspools...

Italian sales company True Colours has taken international sales on two spanking new Cinema Italiano titles with strong cast elements in the leadup to Rome’s Mia market: “Fortuna – The Girl and the Giants,” a dark fable starring Valeria Golino, and Rome-set psychological thriller “The Guest Room,” toplining International Emmy-nominated Guido Caprino.

True Colours chief Gaetano Maiorino said his company has booked physical screenings for five of its films set for market premieres at the Mia mart – the acronym stands for Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, or International Audiovisual Market – that will take place as a hybrid physical and online event Oct. 14-18 in Rome.

“It looks like buyers are coming, and those who won’t be physically present will be attending online,” said Maiorino. He noted that Mia will be “the first real bona-fide market” taking place physically since Berlin in February, prior to the pandemic.

Directed by Neapolitan first-timer Nicolangelo Gelormini,...

Four days after the Primetime Emmys on September, came the nominations for the International Emmys. These awards honor the best in television worldwide from the 2019 calendar year. There are 44 nominees in total from 20 countries: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Scroll down for the full list of nominees.

Acting legend Glenda Jackson is among the contenders for her performance in the telefilm “Elizabeth Is Missing.” In July, Jackson won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for her role as a widowed woman with Alzheimer’s disease trying to investigate a mystery. Her rivals here are: Emma Bading in “Play” (Germany), Andre Beltrão in “Hebe” (Brazil) and Yeo Yann Yann in “Invisible Stories” (Singapore).

The Best Actor race has another U.K. representative with 13-year-old Billy Barratt contending for the telefilm “Responsible Child,...

Netflix shows “Criminal U.K.” and “Delhi Crime,” UFA’s second season of “Charité,” and the second season of HBO Latin America’s “The Bronze Garden” are the nominees in the best drama category at the International Emmy Awards.

Vying for best actress are Glenda Jackson for “Elizabeth is Missing,” for which she has already won a BAFTA, Yeo Yann Yann for “Invisible Stories,” Emma Bading for “Play,” and Andrea Beltrão for “Hebe.”

Nominees for best actor are Billy Barratt for “Responsible Child,” Guido Caprino for “1994,” Raphael Logam for the second season of “Impure” and Arjun Mathur for “Made in Heaven.”

Nominees come from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the U.K. and the U.S.

Bruce L. Paisner, president and CEO of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, said: “At a time of...

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has unveiled the nominations for the International Emmy Awards 2020, with 44 nominees from 20 countries vying for prizes.

Eye-catching nominations include Oscar-winning Glenda Jackson, who is up for best actress for her role in BBC dementia drama Elizabeth Is Missing. Jackson has already scooped a BAFTA for the performance in the Stv Studios-produced single.

PBS and Channel 4’s Oscar-nominated Syria film For Sama will compete for best documentary, while Showtime’s Back To Life is up for best comedy. In the drama series category, Netflix’s Criminal and Delhi Crime are recognized. The full nominations are below.

The International Emmy Award winners will be announced at a ceremony produced from New York City on November 23. Further details will be announced in October.

Arts Programming Jake and Charice

Nhk

Japan

Refavela 40

HBO Brasil / Conspiração

Brazil

Vertige de la Chute (Ressaca)

Babel Doc / France Televisions

France

Why do we Dance?...

Giovanni La Parola’s film is an Italian-French co-production.

Urban Distribution International (Udi) has clinched world sales rights on Italian director Giovanni La Parola’s hybrid Sicily-set western My Body Will Bury You about a group of female bandits operating on the island on the eve of Italian reunification.

The production features an ensemble cast including Miriam Dalmazio, Antonia Truppo, Margareth Madè, Guido Caprino and Giovanni Calcagno. It started shooting on May 14 for eight weeks in Puglia.

My Body Will Bury You is a co-production between Italy and France, produced by Cinemaundici and Ascent Film with the support of Rai Cinema...

Includes world premieres of Succession and The Split.

The world premiere of the 60-minute pilot episode of HBO’s Succession, written by Jesse Armstrong, the UK creator of Peep Show and Fresh Meat, and directed by Adam McKay, whose credits include The Big Short and Anchorman, will open the ninth edition of Series Mania in Lille on April 27.

Brian Cox, Hiam Abbass and Matthew Macfadyen head the ensemble cast of Succession, which follows the travails of a dysfunctional media dynasty.

Additionally, the Official Competition is comprised of 10 world premieres of original global TV series. They include BBC and Sundance TV series The Split,...

Marco Bellochio’s story of a journalist dealing with the loss of his mother is spoiled by a disappointingly sugary resolution

Marco Bellochio’s sentimental new movie is a long and uninterestingly edited muddle of memories and flashbacks that contains a few intriguing moments and frustratingly tiny cameos from great performers such as Bérénice Bejo and Emmanuelle Devos. It is adapted from Massimo Gramellini’s 2012 novel Sweet Dreams, Little One.

Valerio Mastandrea is Massimo, a Turin journalist haunted by the loss of his adored mother when he was a little boy – the cause of her death having always been concealed from him by his father (Guido Caprino). Massimo has covered much in his life, as a war correspondent in Bosnia in the 90s and as a sportswriter.

Continue reading...

Title: Fai Bei Sogni (Sweet Dreams) Director: Marco Bellocchio Starring: Valerio Mastrandrea, Barbara Ronchi, Nicolò Cabras, Guido Caprino, Bérénice Bejo, Pier Giorgio Belloccio, Dario Dal Pero, Dylan Ferrario, Emanuelle Devos Massimo Gramellini is one of Italy’s most prominent journalists and writers. In 2012 he published the autobiographical book ‘Fai Bei Sogni,’ where he retraced his inner journey while growing up, to overcome the grief and sense of abandonment felt ever since he was nine years old, caused by the death of his mother. Director Marco Bellocchio ? who encompassed a wide range of genres and subjects during his 50-year career, conquering worldwide audiences, festivals and prestigious retrospectives (such as the [ Read More ]

The post Fai Bei Sogni (Sweet Dreams) Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Beta wins My Special Prize for the Best Berlin Lineup of all the International Sales Agents

From the producer of 2013 Golden Bear winner “Child’s Pose” comes “Aferim!” playing in Berlinale Competition. Policeman Costandin, a charismatic mixture of a funny Stalin and a somewhat more pragmatic Don Quixote, and his shy and introverted son ride through the rural countryside In search of a fugitive Gypsy slave. Meeting hundreds of characters, delivering a surprise in every scene, this is an ingenious Western in a very wild East of 19th century Romania directed by Radu Jude (“Everybody in our Family”) and produced by HiFilm’s Ada Solomon, Klas, Endorfilm and Mulberry Development, and stars Teodor Corban (“Child’s Pose”, “Beyond the Hills”), Mihai Comãnoiu and Cuzin Toma.

Forum entry “Zurich," Oliver Hirschbiegel’s "13 Minutes" (Competition - Out of Competition) plus this year’s Sundance Audience Award winner “Umrika” and the new Sky Italia series “1992" kicking off the Berlinale Special Series section make this a banner Berlin for Beta Cinema.

In official selection/out of competition bows Nazi resistance drama "13 Minutes" about failed Hitler assassin Georg Elser. Oliver Hirschbiegel, whose Academy Award nominated “Downfall” is one of the most successful Beta Cinema titles ever with 145 sold territories, presents a stunning, emotional portrait of the resistance fighter and his attack on the Munich Bürgerbräukeller on November 8th 1939. Georg Elser was a man who could have changed world history and saved millions of human lives, but his bomb, built to tear Adolf Hitler apart, exploded 13 minutes late. Produced by Lucky Bird’s Oliver Schündler and Boris Ausserer, who just recently won the Bavarian Film Award for "13 Minutes", and written by Fred Breinersdorfer (“Sophie Scholl”), the feature stars Christian Friedel (“The White Ribbon”), Katharina Schüttler (“Generation of War” ) and Burghart Klaussner (“The White Ribbon”).

Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak, who received the prestigious Fipresci-award at the 2012 Berlinale for Hemel, presents with "Zurich" her second feature film, a road movie starring famous Dutch singer and performance artist Wende Snijders. "Zurich" (Viking Film/Rohfilm/Private View/Nrt/Zdf/arte) revolves around Nina, who is wandering along Europe’s motorways in a desperate attempt to leave the past behind. Slowly it becomes clear that Nina’s drive to hang around in the truckers’ scene is a result of the pain caused by the ultimate betrayal that has befallen her. Sacha Polak developed the script by author Helena van der Meulen during last year’s Berlinale Residency program.

Kicking off the Berlinale Special Series, designated to promote outstanding international TV-series, is the political thriller "1992" from Sky Italia ("Gomorrah"), La 7 and Wildside. Over 20 years ago, on February 17th 1992, the first arrest within the so-called Mani Pulite (Clean Hands) maxi-investigation was made in Italy. It was the symbolic start of a revolution. "1992" revolves around six ordinary people whose lives are intertwined with the country's political, civil and social earthquake. The 10xone hour series stars Stefano Accorsi (idea), Guido Caprino and Miriam Leone; director is Giuseppe Gagliardi.

Celebrating its Berlin Market Premiere is Prashant Nair’s Indian drama "Umrika," which just recently received the Audience Award at Sundance, starring world-renowned, up-and-coming young actors Suraj Sharma ("Life of Pi") and Tony Revolori ("The Grand Budapest Hotel," "Dope"). "Umrika" (Hindi for America) is about a small village in India that is invigorated when one of their own travels to America, sharing his adventures and inspiring hope through letters home. But when the letters mysteriously stop coming, his brother sets out on a journey to find him.

Also premiering at the market is the fourth adventure of "The Famous Five" (Sam Film/Constantin), in which Enid Blyton’s teenager gang venture thousands of miles and thousands of years back in time to solve yet another nail-biting mystery. Prolific maverick filmmaker Detlev Buck ("Hands off Mississippi") presents as international market premiere "Bibi & Tina 2," an inventive live-action adaptation of the teen-adventure and romance in the beloved “Bibi & Tina” universe.

Amongst the upcoming titles, "Colonia" is heading the slate, starring Emma Watson in her first lead role since "Harry Potter" alongside Daniel Brühl ("Rush") as her abducted boyfriend and opposite a very sinister Mikael Nykvist ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"). The $15 million production wrapped shooting mid-January and is being presold at the European Film Market.

"Ghosthunters: On Icy Trails" marks another English-language presales highlight for the Efm. This witty and charming Family Entertainment movie sees Milo Parker ("Robot Overlords") team up with the animated Asg, the “Averagely Spooky Ghost” Hugo, to save the world from the “Ancient Ice Ghost”. A promo will be made available for buyers.

Francesco Quinn, son of Anthony Quinn and Dino's voice in Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon, has died. Quinn collapsed, apparently from a heart attack, while jogging with his son Max in Malibu's La Costa neighborhood on Friday evening (Aug. 5). He was 48. One of Mexican-born, two-time Oscar winner Anthony Quinn's 13 children, Francesco Quinn was born in Rome on March 22, 1963. His mother was costume designer Jolanda Addolori. An actor for 25 years, Quinn was featured in more than 30 movies. His film debut took place in Oliver Stone's Oscar-winning Platoon (1986), in which he played the drug-dealing character Rhah. Among his other credits, usually in minor fare, were Casablanca Express (1989), Cannes Man (1996), and Man vs. Monday (2006). According to the IMDb, he has one movie coming out: Giuseppe Ferrara's Roma nuda. Charles Leinenweber and Thadd Turner's Buttermilk Sky was in pre-production for a possible 2012 release. Additionally, Quinn had roles...